


in a week

by itbelynx



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Political Intrigue, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:41:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24050746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itbelynx/pseuds/itbelynx
Summary: They made eye contact and he saw Ignis's mind trying to come up with an escape plan behind his eyes."It's gonna be okay, Iggy," he said past the lump in his throat. "You've been saving me all week. Let me save you this time, okay?""Prompto, don't do this!" Ignis looked to him with absolute despair."I can't let you die!" He turned his attention to the man that held Ignis. "Fine. I agree to your terms. I'll marry you, just… please. Don't kill him."Ravus looked over at him, eyeing him up and down. There was an unreadable expression on his face. After a moment, he seemed content with it and pulled Ignis back to safety."Get him out of my sight." He and Ardyn traded who they were holding. Ignis struggled against Ardyn's hold, but that only resulted in a few punches to the gut. "Do enjoy the party, Ignis. The fireworks start in an hour and I'd hate to have you miss them."Prompto and Ignis made eye contact again and Prompto smiled sadly. He wished he could tell him everything, had been able to tell him everything from the beginning. But now he just watched as the love of his life was dragged away, screaming, and was unable to do anything to stop it.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Ravus Nox Fleuret
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> this is incredibly self indulgent and i will not apologize for anything that happens here

“It’s not that big of a deal, Gladio.”

“That’s not the point, Noct! I’m your Shield, people will get the wrong idea if I show up as your date!” Gladio explained. 

Prompto smirked from his spot on the chair, sitting in a position that wasn’t ideal for the chair but he didn’t care much. He was comfortable and he was mostly just relaxing after his time at the gym with Gladio while Noct and Ignis had gone to a meeting. Ignis had something else he needed to take care of, so the three of them were hanging out in the apartment Gladio and Prompto shared. Noct had just informed Gladio about an important event that they needed to attend and that Gladio was to be Noct’s plus one. 

“So act like my Shield instead of my date, then, if you’re that worried about it. I don’t see why it matters either way.” 

Gladio looked exasperated. He looked to Prompto for help, who only put his hands up and shook his head. He got up from his chair and went to the kitchen to grab a soda. He took a swig and pulled out his phone to see that he had gotten a text from Ignis saying to meet him on the roof. 

“I’m gonna step out for a minute, let y’all have some privacy.” He gave a wink to Gladio, and headed out. 

Gladio had accidentally let it slip a few months back that he had a crush on Noctis. He felt he couldn’t act on it because of his job to protect the prince. It was a big complicated mess. But Prompto understood it, seeing as he had a huge crush on Ignis. He was terrified of ever letting it slip. Ignis was cool, calm and collected, whereas Prompto was nervous, fidgety and all over the place. He could never compare. 

Making his way up to the roof, he opened the door to find Ignis standing against a wall nearby, looking out over the city of Lucis. Prompto gulped down his nervousness and made his way over. 

“Hey,” he said to get Ignis’s attention before standing next to him. 

“Ah, there you are,” the man replied, looking over at him. He looked relaxed. His hair wasn’t up to it’s usual stiffness and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. “I’m sure Noct already talked to Gladio, yes?” 

“About the party that he’s supposed to attend? And wanted Gladio as his plus one for a bodyguard? Yeah. They were talking about it when I read your text.”

Ignis looked away from him, his gaze looking out over the city. Prompto couldn’t look away from him, from the way the setting sun’s rays hit him and made him look so gorgeous. He was in awe of Ignis and how unfair it was that he could look so good all the time. 

“Well, I’ve also been invited to this party. I don’t really know by how or why, but apparently they think I’m also some sort of royalty. I don’t really trust it. But, I can’t afford to say no. So, I was wondering if you’d lend me your eyes for this event.”

“Huh?”

“You’re our sniper. I know I have excellent eyes, but I need an extra set to watch my back while I take care of the nobles. Do you think you can do that for me?” He looked over at him again and Prompto’s heart skipped several beats. 

"Oh, uh." He looked away quickly, praying that the sunset was able to hide the pink in his cheeks. "Yeah, I can help with that. Why'd you wanna ask me on the roof? Could this not be discussed in the room?" 

He felt Ignis look at him but Prompto couldn't bear to look back at him, afraid that his emotions would get the better of him. In his peripheral, he saw Ignis turn back to the skyline.

"I needed some fresh air before going in there. Today was stressful, and I thought I'd watch the sunset." 

Prompto nodded, still unable to look at him. His heart lurched in his chest and every fiber in his being told him to reach out, but he restrained himself. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how much he cared for Ignis and the fact that he couldn't act on it, for fear of ruining both of their reputations, as well as Noct’s. "I've got your back, Iggy. Don't worry." 

"I'm not worried. I have complete faith in you," Ignis said, turning to leave Prompto alone on the rooftop. 

Prompto heard the door to the roof open and then shut again. He was alone.After a few minutes, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, collapsing forward against the waist high wall. He couldn't believe this, couldn't believe that he was also going to this fancy party, where they both were gonna be dressed up. This was like something out of a romance novel. 

"Pull yourself together, Prompto," he told himself. "It's just a mission, nothing special. He's counting on you to keep watch." 

He waited out there a few more minutes as the sun finally set, then headed back downstairs. When he entered the room again, he found only Gladio. He figured the other two must have gone back to their rooms. Gladio was on the couch with his head in his hands. 

"This is it. This is how I die," he said, muffled. "I'm supposed to get all dressed up and be very close to him and somehow be a bodyguard when he's gonna be walking around looking like a _god_?! How am I supposed to survive?"

"I'm right there with you, buddy," Prompto said, sitting down next to him. "Apparently, Iggy also got invited and he asked me to go as backup because he doesn't trust it."

"Why did we have to be gay and fall for these two, of all the men in the world?"

"Face it, Gladio. We're cursed. And now we must suffer." 

Gladio groaned into his hands.

_______________________

Two weeks later, Prompto adjusted his blue vest nervously. Gladio stood next to him, leaning against the car. They kept making eye contact and having a silent conversation about how nervous they were. Both of their crushes were running a little late for the drive, but neither of them were super excited about this trip to begin with so they didn’t mind too terribly much. 

“If I die this week, please throw my ashes into the ocean,” Gladio said as he began to roll up his sleeves. 

“If you go, I go with you, that’s how this works man,” Prompto replied. 

They shared a small laugh. Gladio stopped first and Prompto noticed him looking up the stairs. Prompto turned and saw that both Noctis and Ignis were walking down the steps. Noct was wearing an all black outfit, except for the white tie as an accent. A black button down, a black vest and pants. Ignis, on the other hand, wore a silver vest over a black button down, accompanied by a silver/blue bowtie. He also wore long black pants and shoes, though he also wore gloves on his hands. 

Prompto was pretty sure he short circuited from the sight. It took a minute for him to pick his jaw up from the ground. 

“You guys look amazing,” Gladio said, standing up a little straighter. 

Noct shrugged. Ignis smiled and nodded, seemingly accepting the compliment. 

“You both look rather dashing yourself. You clean up well.” He made eye contact with Prompto, who smiled but quickly looked away out of nervousness. 

“Gladio looks like he’s about to bust out of that shirt,” Noct teased. 

“So what if I am? I gotta be intimidating as your Shield, right?” 

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that. If it does, don’t worry about anything other than protecting the Prince, understood?” Ignis adjusted his glasses on his nose. 

Gladio only nodded and huffed an acknowledgement. 

“Alright. Let’s head out then, yes?” 

They all climbed into the car after putting the remaining bags into the trunk. Ignis was driving, and Prompto sat next to him in the passenger seat. Noct sat behind Ignis, leaving Gladio to sit behind Prompto. They made eye contact with each other in the mirror, and nodded. This was going to suck for them, but they promised to check in with each other if they needed it.

It was to last a little less than a week and they were staying in a wing that had been set aside by the host of the party, Ravus. None of them knew this man well, but Noct knew his sister, Lunafreya, so they felt a little better about the situation. The good news was that they each were given a room. So, after spending all day in the suits and flashy outfits, Prompto could unwind and destress from being so close to Ignis all day in peace. 

"Stop messing with your tie, Gladio."

"It's too stuffy, Specs. I don't know how you stay so calm under all of this shit. I'm aggravated by it all." 

"Being aggravated is fine, it means you'll be more on alert. But stop fiddling with it so that you don't look like a deranged mutt we let off the leash. Act more like Prompto, who's being a good boy." Ignis reached over and pet Prompto's knee. 

Prompto's cheeks flushed, but he quickly played it off with a smile. 

"I never was one to be obedient. Doesn't suit me well." 

Prompto glanced back in the mirror to see Gladio smirking. 

"You are for me," Noct said, almost in a bored tone. Prompto looked back to see him staring expressionless at Gladio, who looked panicked for half a second before he laughed. 

"It's different with you, Noct. That's my job." 

Suddenly, Ignis made a noise, causing Prompto to turn back around suddenly. Ignis put his hand out in front of Prompto as he slammed on the breaks, to keep him from slamming his head into the dashboard. Once they stopped, they looked to see a large beast moving across the road in front of them. 

"Is everyone alright?" Ignis asked softly. His hand hadn't moved from Prompto's chest. 

"Y-Yeah. We're good, Iggy. What do we do?" Noct asked. 

"Stay low and stay quiet. I don't want to scare it or provoke it, in case there are more."

They sat there for a few minutes until it crossed the road and headed into the plains. Then, they sat back up. Ignis's hand moved to Prompto's shoulder, gave it a squeeze, then back to the steering wheel as he began driving. 

After a few minutes of silence, conversation began again. Prompto did his best to interact, but he couldn't stop thinking about Ignis's hands on him. He wanted Ignis to hold him, to be close like that all the time. He looked over to see Iggy's hands on the wheel and he wanted to hold them, to have them hold him. 

In no time, they arrived at their destination. Ignis pulled into the circle drive of the large porcelain palace. Valet opened the doors for them, letting them step out and look around. There were other people gathered around this long walkway up to the open front doors. It was unclear whether they were here as guests, or if they were hoping to sneak in. Prompto took a quick glance around to notice a few members of security around, as well as a few snipers on the high walls next to the doors. 

"Well guarded," he said softly. 

"Indeed," Ignis said, suddenly at his side. "This isn't going to be easy with all of the eyes on us. But, we've got this." He reached out and took Prompto’s hand and wrapped his arm up in his own. 

Prompto looked up at him with somewhat wide eyes. He suddenly regretted not paying attention in the strategy meeting. He felt heat filling his cheeks and his heart skipped a few beats. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t find his voice. 

“It’s alright,” Ignis said softly as they began to walk up the long walkway to the entrance of the palace. “I know meetings aren't really your thing. Just act normal. We're to be a couple during this week. I'll keep touching to a minimum if you're uncomfortable." 

"N-No, no. It's okay. I was just caught off guard, that's all," Prompto replied, noting the looks and whispers that some of the other guests gave them. He glanced back and saw Gladio give him an incredulous look, which he gave a look that said _later._ The other two were walking a little closer than normal but they weren't holding hands like Prompto and Ignis were. He figured it was only them who had to pretend to date. 

"While we're here, there's going to be many political figures that will be approaching us. Stay close to me, always, understand?" There was a smile on Iggy's face but there was no mistaking the calm yet serious tone of voice. 

"Got it. Always with you." He couldn't complain about that, as much as his heart might beat out of his very chest at the thought about it. He was in this for the long haul now. He’d have to ask more questions about the logistics about this when they had a moment alone, but he could roll with it for now. 

They walked up and were greeted by a few palace guards. Ignis pulled Prompto aside to talk to them about who they were and to make sure they announced Noct. They let the prince walk in front of them, with Gladio following immediately like a guard dog. They walked behind, Prompto keeping an eye on all the guards and guests they passed. 

“See anything worth noting?” Ignis asked quietly. 

“Most of these guards are simply for show. They don’t even wear weapons. There is a man in a bright red suit but the shoes he’s wearing suggest he’s not as rich as he once was. And there’s a woman with a bright blue dress that’s missing an earring, suggesting she lost it and she doesn’t care.” 

“Good boy.” 

Prompto hated the heat that filled his cheeks at those words, so he turned his face away from Ignis to hopefully hide until he calmed down a moment later. “Is there anything in particular you want me to look for?”

“I’m sure it won’t be easy, but there’s a man somewhere here with black eyes. I don’t have any other descriptions other than that, I’m afraid. If we find him, we’re to keep the prince away from him and, if possible, take him out.”

“Black eyes? Huh. I’ve never heard of anyone with black eyes before. Hopefully we can find him early so we can still enjoy the fireworks on the last night.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis said with a smile. 

They followed behind as they entered a huge hall. There were so many people here and it was a little overwhelming for Prompto. Subconsciously, he held onto Ignis a little tighter, who in turn also held him reassuringly. They made eye contact in their peripheral and nodded to each other. 

“Announcing his royal highness, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Lucis and his Royal Shield, Gladiolus Amicitia.” A guard said loudly. “And announcing Royal Advisor, Ignis Scientia and his partner Prompto Argentum.” 

Prompto couldn’t help the pink flush to his cheeks. The fact that he had liked Ignis for a few years now, but never voiced it because of their standings and court stuff always confused him anyways, and now he was standing there in a court full of people having just been announced as his partner. This week might be the death of him. 

“Noctis!” A voice called out. A woman with bright blonde hair came over and hugged him, who seemed to reciprocate. “Oh, I’m so glad you could make it! I hope your travels were smooth?”

“Yeah, we only got stopped by a group of large beasts that crossed the land, but other than that it was fine.” Noctis seemed rather chummy with this woman. “May I introduce: Gladio Amicitia, the sworn Shield of the King. As well as Ignis Scientia, royal advisor to the King, and Prompto Argentum.” He motioned towards each of them as he introduced them all. “Guys, this is Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Duscae. Happy birthday, Luna.”

“Oh, shut it, Noct. It’s not my birthday yet. Honestly, I don’t know why Ravus put all this on. It’s completely unnecessary and a waste of time.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Come on, you know he’s just trying to be a good older brother after-”

“I know _why_ he’s doing it, I just wish he _wouldn’t_ , you know?”

Noct nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”

Prompto looked up at Ignis with a raised eyebrow. Ignis gave him a look that told him that it would be discussed later. 

“Speaking of Ravus, I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

As if by magic, a taller man with about shoulder-length white hair. He was about as tall as Gladio, and while not as buff still looked like he could hold his own. His outfit matched his hair, all white with silver and black as accents. His eyes were the most fascinating part about him. The left one was purple while the right was blue. Prompto couldn’t help but stare. 

“Ah, Lunafreya! This must be Noctis, who I’ve heard so much about. And who are his friends?” He asked. It was easy to tell that this man was related to Luna. 

“This is Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto,” Luna answered. 

The man extended his hand and began to shake each of theirs. “I am Lord Ravus Nox Fleuret, though you may just call me Ravus.” His smile was kind. 

Prompto and Ignis had let go of each other’s hands at some point and it was when Ravus took Prompto’s that he noticed this. Ravus smiled at him and there was a glint of something almost mischievous as he took Prompto’s hand and after giving it a proper shake, he kissed the back of it, causing Prompto to blush and freeze. He was never good at court stuff, having been raised as a commoner, so he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do. 

“It’s wonderful to meet you all,” Ravus said, letting Prompto’s hand go and pulling back like nothing had happened at all. “Do make yourselves comfortable. Your rooms are in the East Wing. I’ll have a guard escort you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking them myself, Ravus,” Luna said with a look that Prompto didn’t catch. 

“Fine, okay. I’ll let you have this moment with your friends.” And Ravus disappeared. 

“Come on, your rooms aren’t far.”

They all followed Luna as she led them through the palace. There was so much to see but Prompto couldn’t focus on it, having still been taken aback by Ravus kissing his hand. He didn’t even realize they had arrived in the room until the door shut behind him and he zoned back into his surroundings to see Gladio checking the room like a guard dog and Noctis not caring at all and collapsing in the provided couch.

“Ignis, Prompto, your room is the next room over. I’m sorry I couldn’t accommodate a room for each of you, but with the amount of people Ravus invited, I could just barely get these for you.”

“It’s quite alright, my lady,” Ignis said, bowing slightly. He turned to Prompto, placing his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go check it out, okay. You stay here.”

Prompto nodded, still feeling like he had been tossed out at sea and was seconds away from drowning. He wanted to hold Ignis’s hand there on his shoulder and use it as a grounding point, but instead he just let him go.

“The servants should be bringing your things up shortly,” Luna said as Ignis left. “How have you been, Noct? You hardly write anymore.”

The two of them delved into conversation. Long time buddies that hadn’t seen each other tended to get talkative. Prompto was still standing in the walkway to the entrance of the room, gripping his hands together as he still tried to wrap his head around why Ravus had kissed it. He was so out of it that he didn’t notice Gladio approach him and put both his hands on his shoulders. 

“You alright there, champ?” He asked quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of Noct and Luna. 

“Y-Yeah. Sorry.” He dropped his hands and smiled. “Just a little overwhelmed, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Gladio looked at him sternly, his amber eyes scanning Prompto’s face. “If you need anything, we’re here for you, alright? Noct might get busy with court bullshit, but both Iggy and I have your back.”

Prompto smiled and nodded. “I know. Thanks, Gladio.” 

Gladio returned the smile. A knock came and it was the servants with their belongings. Prompto took this moment to accompany the other guards over to his room so he could help with unpacking everything. They thanked the servants and shut the door as they left, leaving Prompto and Ignis alone in the room. 

It was this moment that Prompto realized that their room was different from Gladio and Noct’s. It wasn’t as big, so it didn’t have a couch. Just a large bed, a wardrobe, and a little desk for writing. Prompto stopped, then turned to Ignis. 

“Yes, we’ll have to share a bed. Is that alright?” He asked, seemingly noting his mildly panicked face. 

It took a second to compose himself before Prompto replied, “Yeah, it’s fine. Just, don’t get mad if I kick you in the middle of the night. I don’t share easily.” He then turned and busied himself with putting away clothes. He couldn’t bear to look at Ignis, couldn’t help how red his face became. He was going to be sharing a bed with the man he had fallen in love with and he was definitely going to die this week. 

“I wanted to ask you something.” Ignis asked after a few minutes of both of them readying the room. 

“What’s up?” 

“Does Ravus know you from somewhere?”

Prompto paused for a second. “I don’t think so? I’ve never met him until today. Honestly, I don’t know why he kissed my hand like that.” 

“Well, it seems he might fancy you.”

Prompto turned around then and looked at Ignis incredulously. “Fancy _me?!_ Why in the world would he fancy me? I’m just a commoner-”

“You’re more than that and you know it.” Ignis’s tone was harsh, though since he was also facing away it was hard for Prompto to gauge anything beyond what he said. “In any case, we may be able to use this to our advantage. If Ravus does in fact fancy you, we may be able to use that as a point for us to unify our nations.”

Prompto didn’t answer for a moment, pondering that. “Will I have to marry him?” 

Ignis turned around finally, still looking as calm and collected as always. “Of course not. I’m merely just stating that if he can be friendly towards you, and then friendly towards Noct, then it may lead to us finally joining as one to deal with Niflheim.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good. Do you need me to do anything?”

“I don’t think you have to worry about anything other than being yourself. If he’s already taken a liking to you, then it would do him good to know all the facets of your character.”

Prompto laughed bashfully and looked away, catching himself in the mirror. “No one wants all this mess. I’m too much to handle.” He said quietly and in a joking tone, but he could see the sadness in his own eyes. There was only one man for him and there was no way the two would actually ever be a couple. 

They continued to sort their things in relative silence, as night drew closer. Prompto took the first shower. He stood there under the warm water, lost in thought. He hadn’t realized how long it had been until there was a knock at the door. 

“Is everything alright, Prompto? It’s been half an hour.”

 _Shit!_ “Sorry, Iggy! I’ll be right out!” Quickly, he finished up and turned off the water. He wrapped one towel around his waist, while the other was draped over his shoulders, catching the water that dripped from his hair. He walked out and apologized again. 

“It’s alright,” the other man said with a smile. 

They traded places. Prompto got dressed and Ignis headed to the shower. Prompto was still trying to process his thoughts, and decided he needed some air. Thankfully, there was a balcony attached to their room. He stepped out into the cool night breeze and breathed in the fresh air, which whipped at his hair. From here, he could see the coast line and the ocean. He wondered if he could convince the others for a beach trip one day this week. He leaned against the railing and sighed softly. 

“Oh, Prompto,” he said to himself. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

The night air held no answers, merely just drifted the words off into the distance. After a few minutes, he went back inside to see Ignis sitting on the bed wearing a simple tank top and long pajama pants, which contrasted to Prompto’s long sleeved shirt and shorts. Prompto realized in this moment he had never seen Ignis’s sleepwear and suddenly became overwhelmed by that thought and had to go sit on the opposite side of the bed, facing away from him. 

He got under the covers and pulled them over himself, curling himself into bed. He turned off the light on his side of the room and pretended to go to sleep. His mind definitely wasn’t going to let him rest, but he also could not look at Ignis right then, or else he would jeopardize the entire mission. After a while, he felt Ignis get under the covers as well and turn out the light. 

They both were laying there for a while. Prompto wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words. He didn’t want to embarrass himself like he always did, so he kept quiet. After a while, he heard Ignis’s breathing level out. He turned and saw that Ignis had been facing him. Heat filled Prompto’s cheeks quickly and he had to put his hand to his mouth to keep from making any noises. 

Ignis was so pretty. Prompto had always known that. His hair hung in his face and his eyelashes were beautifully long. His expression when he slept didn’t have upturned eyebrows and he looked truly at peace. Prompto just laid there and watched Ignis sleep for a while, completely and utterly in love with this man. 

Gods help him, this week would be the death of him.


	2. Chapter Two

The next morning, Prompto woke up to an empty bed. He was in the middle of the bed, which made him feel a little bad in case he kicked Ignis out. He heard a sound and saw Ignis walk out of the bathroom pulling his shirt over his shoulders and between the way the light coming in from outside, and his hair billowing gently with the breeze from the open window, Prompto was certain he had died in the middle of the night. 

“Ah, you’re awake. We’ve been invited to breakfast with the lord and lady this morning, so I’d advise getting ready quickly.”

Prompto nodded and got out of bed. Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and ready to go. He looked over at Ignis after finishing with his hair and saw the man’s tie was off. Without thinking, he walked up and began to fix it for him. He looked up at Ignis once he was done and they shared a moment of looking into each other’s eyes, the Prompto panicked and pulled away. 

“Sorry!”

“It’s alright. Thank you.” 

Prompto nodded, not trusting his mouth. Ignis led the way out of the bedroom, and headed next door. Upon opening it, they both found Gladio sitting on the couch, which had obviously been his bed, and Noctis standing in the bathroom still messing with his hair. 

“Iggy, can you come help me? I can never get it right.” 

“Of course, my prince.” Iggy responded, to which Noct made a disgruntled sound. 

“How’d you sleep?” Prompto asked Gladio, knowing that if he watched Iggy work on Noct’s hair he would probably end up with a nosebleed. 

“Oh, fine. Couch was surprisingly comfortable, considering. Though, I did almost suffocate his royal highness at one point because he snores.” He glanced over at Noct, who gave him a finger back. Prompto gave him a look, which Gladio then whispered quietly, “It was actually really cute and endearing but I didn’t know how to deal with it so I stayed up and watched him half the night.”

“Oh, I understand,” Prompto said quietly. “Iggy and I shared a bed and I was pretty sure when I woke up this morning that I had died.”

Gladio’s eyes went wide but before he could ask, the other two walked out. They shared a look that meant they would talk more later, but for now they had their roles to play. The four of them headed out and made their way to a large banquet hall. There were a couple dozen servants running around. They saw a tall man with purple-ish hair and a long black coat standing in the middle talking with a few of them. He noticed them and pointed over to the door on the opposite side of where they had come in. 

“Ravus is expecting you all out there. He and Luna have set up a beautiful breakfast for you all to enjoy.”

Noct gave a wave of thanks to him and they went over. The door led them down a small hallway that ended with them being outside. There was a beautiful patio of marble with a table full of food. Sitting at the table, each enjoying a cup of something to drink, was both Lady Luna and Lord Ravus. They waved them over. Ravus was at the head of the table, with Luna to his right. 

“Good morning! So glad you could join us!” Ravus smiled over at them. Noct sat next to Luna, Gladio taking the seat next to him so he could keep an eye on those coming in and out of the palace. 

“Prompto, sit next to me! I’d love to chat more than we got to last night,” Ravus said, pulling open the seat next to him. 

Prompto looked to Ignis, who nodded and took the seat next to him on the other side. Prompto sat down, taking note of the food spread as he did so. Very standard for a palace meal. Eggs, muffins, fruit. They were probably saving all of the good stuff for this weekend. 

“So, Prompto, tell me a bit about yourself,” Ravus said, drinking some of his drink, which Prompto could see was some sweetened coffee. 

“Oh, well. I’m not really any royalty like these guys,” he motioned towards the others. “I met Noct when we were teens, and became fast friends with him. And it was because of that friendship that I was able to start taking lessons in the infantry with the soldiers, which is where I met Gladio. I became especially skilled in mechanics and militia, so the King asked me to join the Crowns Guard, which led me to meeting Ignis.” He looked over and smiled at the man he was supposed to be pretending to date, who had been making a plate of food for him while he talked. 

“So, you’re an opportunist. That’s good, you see the options laid out before you and you take advantage of them. That’s a good trade to have mastered, especially where court intrigue is involved.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it,” he smiled, then thanked Ignis for getting him some food. He took a bite and spoke again once he finished. “I would put it more towards luck than anything else.”

“So, you’re a lucky charm then.” He winked over at Prompto, who felt his cheeks flush. 

He didn’t understand why he found this man so charming. He knew he loved Ignis, but having this man look at him and flirt with him so blatantly was something he wasn’t accustomed to. He glanced over at Noct and Gladio, who were both smirking at him. 

“He certainly has saved me more times than I can count.” Noct said. 

“Indeed,” Ignis said, reaching over and gently rubbing his thumb on the back of his hand. “He’s always got our backs and we’re very thankful he’s on our side. He’s saved me both from death, and stolen my heart in the process.” He took Prompto’s hand and kissed the back of it. 

He was a master at this. He was able to completely take back any thoughts Prompto might have been having about Ravus and now he sat there completely enamored by this man. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and we both know that.”

They looked at each other, both remembering the time that Ignis had saved him after being shot and almost drowning. Prompto would have been a goner had Ignis not dived into the water after him and carried him back to shore. He had been the one to resuscitate him and then treat his wound. It was truly a miracle he hadn’t died that day. 

“You’re quite the couple. Have you been together long?” Luna asked. 

“A few months,” Ignis said, letting go of Prompto’s hand. “I asked him out on a whim, expecting a no, but to my surprise he said yes. It hasn’t been easy because of our conflicting schedules, but when we get to spend time with each other, like this week, we’re grateful.” 

“Oh, you’re adorable.” 

The man from inside had walked outside and began his stroll over. Prompto noted his rather chill demeanor. His eyes were a pretty amber that shone in the morning sun. He seemed rather acquainted with Ravus, seeing as he walked over and put his arm around the back of his chair. 

“Ardyn, this is Noctis, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto. Everyone, this is Ardyn.”

“A pleasure to meet you all. I hope you all slept well. Ravus made such a fuss about your room arrangements.” He turned his attention to the lord. “I caught a servant attempting to steal some food. I reprimanded them, and they won’t work for the rest of the week, but thankfully I brought some of my own people and was able to fill the job easily.” 

“Thank you, Ardyn. You’re a godsend.” 

The man bowed to them, then left. 

“Ardyn has been my right hand man these past couple of years while I run everything. He’s reliable and I think I would run myself to the ground if it weren’t for him,” Ravus explained. 

“It’s been very helpful while I’ve been busy being the Oracle. And I’m glad someone is there to keep my brother company,” Luna smiled. “I fear he’d go insane if he were to deal with everything alone.” 

“He’s been most helpful.” He drank some more of his coffee. “Anyways, Lunafreya, there’s something I must take care of this morning, but how about this evening we take a group out and head to the beach? I heard the sunsets are beautiful this time of year.”

“That would be wonderful! There’s a little secluded section a bit north of here where we won’t have to worry about being spotted outside.” She seemed really excited. 

The thought of going to the beach both excited and terrified Prompto. He always thought it was beautiful, but he had developed a fear of water from when he nearly drowned. He sank back into his chair a little, but then felt a hand on his again and he looked over to see Ignis’s hand once again comforting him. Bless this kind man. They looked at each other a moment while the others had continued to talk about their trip. Ignis was the only one who knew about his fear of water, having been the only one to see his panic attack the last time they had to travel by boat. It eased Prompto a little to know that Ignis would be there. 

“Then, it’s settled!” Ravus said with a smile. “We’ll all take a trip to the beach this evening. I’ll see you all in front of the palace later.” And with that, the man got up and left. 

“It’s so nice to see my brother again,” Lunafreya said softly. 

“Have you been separated?” Prompto asked without thinking. 

“Not exactly,” she replied, seemingly taking it alright. “Ever since Mother died, he hasn’t quite been himself. He works too much and tries to put everything on his shoulders. I think part of his fear of losing me, and the other part is him trying to busy himself so he doesn’t have to think about what’s been lost. But now, with this whole thing… It's the first time I’ve seen him truly act like he used to. All fun quips and joking.”

Prompto looked over his shoulder as Ravus disappeared back inside. He was incredibly charming. A part of him wondered more about him and his character, feeling particularly drawn to him. He hoped tonight at the beach would garner more time to get to know him. 

“I have some things to handle around the palace as well as some Oracle business today, but you’re all free to roam around the palace. Though, the West Wing is off limits until Friday. That’s where the ballroom is and they’re still getting everything ready,” she explained. “There’s a chocobo stable-”

“Where?!” Both Noct and Prompto immediately perked up. 

“It’s actually on sight. That large building over there.” She pointed out across the lawn. There, a few hundred feet away sat a large stable. From there, Prompto could see the little yellow animals walking around. 

He and Noct looked at each other and immediately they were racing over. This had been what started their friendship. Prompto had a chocobo charm on his backpack that Noct had complimented, and they had been friends ever since. They arrived quickly and out of breath. An older man in work clothes approached them. 

“Well, howdy! You boys looking to ride some chocobos?” He asked. 

“Wait, we can ride them?” Prompto asked excitedly. 

“Well, of course. Master Ravus has always loved chocobos and wanted to make sure if anyone else wanted to, they could have a chance to ride them.” 

“That’s great!” Noct beamed. “We’d love to take a couple of them out, if that’s alright?”

“Of course? There’s a selection out here to choose from, and there’s a few more inside if you’re not feeling particularly bonded to one of these. Though, I’ll tell you not to approach the one in the very back of the stable. That’s Master Ravus’s and she’s very particular that no one else rides her except for him.”

The boys both nodded. They started down the row towards the chocobos. They were all so pretty. Most of them were yellow but there were a couple that were different colors. Noct found a really pretty red one that seemed to like him. Prompto was still struggling. None of the ones outside were paying him any attention, so he decided to head into the barn. There were so many beautifully colored ones, Prompto had to remember to breathe. 

As he walked down the aisle of animals, a noise caught his ear. He heard a soft cooing sound coming from further within. Carefully, he trudged further into the barn, coming upon an all white chocobo. It cooed at him as he approached, lowering it’s head to be pet once he was close enough. 

“Hey there,” Prompto smiled, hands gliding over the feathers. The chocobo was so soft to the touch. It had been so long since he had been around chocobos, he couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped him as he pet the creature. 

“Well, I’ll be,” a voice said behind him. Turning around, he found it was the farmer guy from outside. “I never thought I’d see the day that chocobo liked anyone other than Master Ravus.” 

“This is Ravus’s chocobo?” 

The man nodded. “She seems to like you, though. Her name’s Slyva, named after the Lord and Lady’s mother. I’ll get you a harness.” 

In no time, Prompto was seated on the back of the all white chocobo, joining his best friend outside. Noct was also seated on the back of his red chocobo. There was a race track they could use not far from the barn. While usually competitive, this was unknown land and they didn’t want to risk something happening, so they just casually rode the chocobos around the track. 

After almost two hours of riding and having casual conversations about various things, including how once they were back in Lucis that they were gonna kick each other’s butt at a video game, Noct piped up with a question. “Hey, Prompto. Can I ask you something?” 

“What’s up?” 

Noct didn’t answer right away. Prompto noticed his brow was furrowed together in thought and a bit of worry. His hands gripped at the reign nervously, white knuckled showing against the black leather. 

“Do you think it’s weird to be in love with someone that you know you can never be with?” 

Prompto almost fell off his chocobo. He looked at Noct and saw the sincerity, and a bit of heartbreak, which in turn broke his own heart. He knew exactly the feeling Noct was talking about too, which made this situation even more precarious. Had Gladio told him about his crush on Ignis? Or was this something else? 

“I don’t think it’s weird, no,” he answered truthfully. “Unfortunate, yes. But not weird.”

Noct sighed and looked down. “I just… I don’t know how to deal with this because there’s someone I love so much but I can’t bring myself to do anything about it because of stupid royal and political bullshit.” 

“Yeah, court stuff sucks for sure. But… I also don’t think it’s fair to keep that bottled up inside, you know? You can’t let that sit there and build so much that you’re suffering.” There went Prompto, not practicing what he was saying. “You’re the Prince of Lucis, it’d be a miracle if this person didn’t like you back.”

“I don’t want to be liked because I’m the Prince. I want to be liked because of  _ me. _ ”

They rode in silence for a bit, neither knowing what to say. Prompto couldn’t even bring himself to tell Ignis how he felt, how could he give advice about Noct’s situation? He was an idiot who was hopelessly in love and would never say anything about it. They began to head back to the barn. 

“Hearts are fickle things. We don’t get to choose who we fall in love with, we just get to enjoy the love while it lasts and deal with the consequences afterwards.” 

Noct smiled sadly at the other. He seemed to understand. 

And with that they rode back into the barn. They thanked the man for letting them ride the chocobos, then headed back towards the palace. They were greeted by Gladio at the steps. 

“You boys have fun?” He asked. 

“Yeah, there were so many pretty birds there! Once we’re back in Lucis, I’m buying a chocobo for myself.”

“Oh, yeah? Where are you gonna keep it? Because it’s definitely not living in the apartment.”

“I’ll live with it on the streets then. I don’t care.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Ignis is doing a sweep of the palace. He wanted to just take in everything he could with the parts of the palace that we can get to. He’s gonna go over the game plan back in our room, so I say we head back and wait for him.” They headed back inside. 

“I’m gonna use the restroom, I’ll meet you back upstairs.”

Peeling off, he asked a servant where the nearest bathroom was that he could use. He found one quickly and took care of himself. Once he was finished, he looked at himself in the mirror. His words with Noct echoed in his head. He ran his hands down his face. 

“I’m such an idiot.” 

After taking a moment to collect himself, he headed back out. He began his walk back towards the bedrooms when he heard the sound of music. Curiosity catching the better of him, he followed the sound to a music room down the hall. Quietly, he opened the door and found none other than Ravus playing the piano. It was quite a gorgeous sound. The tune was unfamiliar to him, but Prompto could still hear how masterful he played the notes and chords. He stood there in the doorway and enjoyed the sound. Once the song finished, he applauded. 

“Oh, Prompto! I didn’t notice you enter,” Ravus said with a smile. 

“That was beautiful,” Prompto said as he entered further into the room. “I’ve never heard that song before, but it was really pretty and there was a lot of emotion.” 

Ravus’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “Oh, thank you. It’s actually a piece I composed myself. I intend to play it for Lunafreya on Friday as her gift.”

“That’s so cool!” Prompto beamed. He had never been especially skilled at things like that, so hearing that Ravus had created that with his own brain was amazing to him. “I never learned how to play any instruments, but I always felt drawn to music, you know?”

“I understand that sentiment extremely well. Music was something my mother would do for us when we were young, and after she died I refused to pick it up. But after a while, I just felt the siren’s song calling to me, and before I knew it, I had started playing again.”

“I’m sorry,” Prompto said, putting a hand on Ravus’s shoulder. “I know losing people is very hard. I’m glad you’ve been able to use music to cope, though. Even your sister has noticed your mood change.”

Ravus looked up at him from his seated position. The fact that his eyes were two different colors were incredibly distracting. Prompto found himself drawn into them by an unknown source. A part of him wanted to lean down and- 

“Anyways, I’ll see you later for the beach trip!” 

Prompto quickly left and almost bolted up the stairs to the bedroom he was sharing with Ignis. Once inside he slammed the door closed and began pacing. He couldn’t believe he had been about to lean down and kiss Ravus. Talk about unprofessional. Not only was he supposed to be faking a relationship with Ignis, but he was also unconditionally in love with the man, but somehow he had been about to kiss Ravus. He didn’t understand what was going on.

The door opened suddenly and Gladio walked in. Without thinking, Promtpo ran to him and hugged him, needing the contact from someone other than Ravus and Iggy.

"Hey, okay. I'm here, Prompto. What's going on? Is everything alright?" 

Prompto didn't answer, just hugged him tighter. He seemed to take that as a clue, and gently wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back. Prompto felt Gladio's hands gently run down his back, which only made him feel worse somehow. 

"I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" 

Prompto pulled back slightly, looking up at his friend. "I almost kissed Ravus just now." He felt a stray tear fall down his cheek. 

Gladio's eyes went wide. He pulled back and checked down the hall to make sure no one else was coming. Seemingly okay with the results, he went into the room and shut the door behind him, then sat them both down on the bed. 

"What happened?" 

"So, after I used the bathroom, I heard music playing. A piano. I followed it and found Ravus playing. It was a really pretty piece and after he was done I complimented him on it. And he explained his relationship with music and how he had backed away from it after his mom died, and then suddenly found himself drawn to it. And I said I was sorry for his loss and then told him that I was glad he had found a way to cope and I got lost in the way he was looking at me and I…" He couldn't hold back anymore. He let tears run steadily down his face. 

"It's okay, Prompto. You're alright." Gladio rubbed his back. "You didn't act on it."

"But I feel fucking awful, Gladio! I'm still in love with Ignis but somehow I had the urge to kiss Ravus?! And what if I did?! I’d ruin everything!"

"But you didn't. You're probably just confused because of this whole fake dating business. Your heart is still yearning for love and your brain is telling you that you're already together. It's a weird and precarious situation to be in. And I'm sorry you are being put through this. But you're still a good person, and you didn't ruin the mission, okay? And if you need me to, I’ll make sure you’re never alone with Ravus again."

Prompto nodded and took a moment to collect himself. He wiped his face dry and breathed deeply. "Thanks, Gladio."

"Of course, buddy. We've always got each other's backs." He smiled and the two were quiet for a moment. “So… how was having Ignis hold your hand this morning?”

Prompto’s face erupted in a bright red color. “I thought I was going to pass out! He looked so lovingly at me and my heart skipped a few beats. Does he know that he’s going to  _ kill _ me?!” He flopped backwards onto the bed. “It’s not fair. How come he has to be so hot and so completely out of my league?” 

“Because, as you said before we left, this is our curse.” Gladio leaned back on one of his arms. “This morning when Noct woke up his hair was sticking up in funky ways and it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Prompto laughed. It was so funny to him that Gladio was this big, strong, muscular dude but when he came to Noct he fell apart at the seams and acted more his age. He and Prompto were uselessly in love and it was both the best and the worst feelings in the world.

They spent the rest of the morning chatting and teasing each other about their love and how useless they were and the day passed by quickly. They had relocated to the other bedroom to hang out. Prompto had started to get anxious about Iggy being gone when he finally walked through the door. He seemed tired, which made Prompto want to reach out to him, but he didn’t know how to. They all continued on with their conversations, discussing the layout of the palace and which rooms led where if they needed to escape quickly if something happened on Friday evening.

At about midafternoon, they all changed into their bathing suits. Prompto didn’t plan on swimming but it was much more comfortable to go to a beach with swim trunks on rather than pants. They headed down to the entrance and found their car as well as an all white one pulled up in front of it. Ravus seemed to have a favorite color scheme. 

“Lunafreya and I will take my car. You boys can follow in yours. It’s not too far from here, and our servants packed us some food and drinks while we’re there.” 

In no time they were off. Ignis drove and Prompto sat next to him, unable to look at him. It was really unfair how toned his thighs were. And when he sat down, the swim trunks rode up and exposed more skin. Prompto was sure if he looked over he would not be able to stop himself from feeling him up. 

Ten minutes later, they pulled off the main road and took a dirt one, which had Gladio promising they’d wash the car once they got back, seeing the upset look on Noct’s face at seeing his baby all dirty. A few minutes later, they pulled up to a stop. They were at the top of a cliff it looked like. Below them sat a beautiful lagoon of crystal clear blue water. There was a road down to a little secluded spot by the water that appeared to be . There even appeared to be a little spot for fishing, which Prompto pointed out to Noct. 

“Thank the gods my rod is still in the back.” 

They made their way down. Prompto guessed that from the top of the cliff to the water below was about fifty feet, so if the others wanted to, they could jump off the cliff and land in the water just fine. He voiced this thought and Noct and Gladio’s eyes gleamed with excitement. The two adrenaline junkies. 

“Oh, we’re so doing that.” 

“Not before I kick your ass in volleyball,” Iggy said, pointing to the beach volleyball court set up on the secluded section of sand. 

“Oh, I haven’t played volleyball in years,” Ravus smiled

They all began to put their things down, including chairs, coolers, and towels. 

“Great! You can play instead of me. I’m awful,” Prompto said, immediately sitting down in his chair. 

“You aren’t getting out that easily,” Ignis chided. “Lady Lunafreya, do you play as well?”

“I do. Who do you think beats my brother?” She winked at Ravus, who scoffed. 

“How about this, then,” Ravus started. “Prompto, Ignis and I on one team. Gladio, Noct and Lunafreya and I on the other. First to twenty gets to eat first. Does that sound fair?” 

Everyone agreed. 

So, there they were, standing in the warm sand in a three-on-three match of beach volleyball. Prompto and Ignis knew how to work with each other, but Ravus was a whole new element. He had an air of dignity about him that made you think he didn’t truly know how to play, but once they started, he was the first to dive for a ball. Prompto set it up and Ignis spiked it. 

“Nice kill!” Ravus exclaimed as they garnered the first point. “And I thought you said you were bad?” He turned to Prompto. “That set was perfect!”

“Oh, well, I know Iggy pretty well. So… it’s just natural, you know?” He smiled. 

“I understand. Don’t be afraid to lean on me as well, alright? I’ve got your back.”

The rest of the game went on. Prompto had an immense amount of fun. Everyone was covered in sand and sweat. In the end, Prompto, Ignis and Ravus lost but it was still tons of fun. Then, they dug into the food and drinks, which was little sandwiches and wine. Simple but still delicious. They chatted for a while and as the sun started to get lower in the sky, Prompto looked and saw he wouldn’t be able to get a good picture from where they were on the secluded beach. 

“I’m gonna go grab a picture.” He pulled his camera from his bag and began to walk back up the trail to the top of the cliff. 

“We can all go, and then do our cliff jumping,” Noct stated. 

“Sweet! I’d love to get a group shot!”

A few minutes later, they all stood out on the cliff as Prompto adjusted his camera to include everyone. He and Noct would be in front while the other four taller people would stand behind them. After the shot was taken, he smiled at it. 

“It’s a keeper!”

“We’ll have to print it out and have it hung up somewhere!” Luna said with a bright smile. Ravus nodded in agreement. 

“Now, what’s this about cliff jumping?”

“Oh, Gladio and I love to do reckless things. You’re welcome to join us, if you like?” Noct offered. 

“I’m game! What about you, Lunafreya?”

“No, thank you. I’ll just watch.” 

“I’m not jumping, either,” Prompto said as he began to disassemble his camera stand. “Iggy, I’ll hold your glasses if you want to jump.” 

“That’s kind of you,” Ignis said with a smile. He may usually be a wall of coolness, but he was still a young twenty-something just like the rest of them. He placed his glasses in Prompto’s hand and leaned down and kissed Prompto’s cheek, causing him to burn bright red. He knew they were supposed to make it seem like they were dating, but this was a new level and Prompto was not prepared at all. He wanted to pull Ignis back and kiss him breathlessly.

“How about a wager?” Noct said with a smirk. “Luna and Prom are judges. Coolest trick wins.”

“And what exactly do we win?” Gladio asked as he stretched his muscles. 

“How about for the rest of the night, everyone has to refer to the winner as King of the Beach.”

“Deal.”

They all agreed to these terms, then it was a matter of who went first. They did a quick guessing game with Luna to figure out an order, which was: Noct, Iggy, Gladio, and then Ravus. Prompto finished putting away his camera and his stand away, and then back in the car. On his walk back from the car, he swore he heard another vehicle approach but when he looked back there was nothing. He assumed it was just the sound of one carrying from the main road. 

“Alright,” Luna said. “Ready? Set. Go!” 

Noct took off at a sprint. He jumped and did a couple flips before he disappeared over the edge. They looked down and watched him do a couple more flips before turning into a dive. It was pretty good. Luna and Prompto whispered gibberish to each other behind their hands so as to confuse the others. 

“Alright, Iggy. Make me proud!” Prompto applauded and gave him a wink. 

“And… go!” Luna exclaimed. 

However Ignis didn’t run. Instead, he leisurely walked up to the edge. He turned, put his hands behind his head and winked back at Prompto before falling backwards off the edge. It was both hot and terrifying for Prompto. He watched him go as he stayed facing up the entire time before going into a dive at the last second. 

“I may be a little biased but that was incredibly hot,” Prompto said softly to Luna, who giggled in return. 

“I will admit that was definitely really cool.” 

Gladio was next. He started out at a run, but then went into a cartwheel back handspring as he pushed himself over the edge with his hands. Prompto rolled his eyes. Always the showoff. Ravus went after that. He pulled off his shirt and handed it to his sister. Ravus was ripped and Prompto had to keep from staring at his body, focusing instead on his face. Ravus took a running start as well, before doing a one handed cartwheel off the edge, which impressed both Luna and Prompto. 

“Huh, I thought they’d never leave,” a slimey voice suddenly said. 

Prompto turned and saw three men suddenly approach. They were wearing casual clothes, if a bit torn up. He assessed they were probably commoners and mayhaps on the poorer side. Prompto stood between them and Luna, handing her Iggy’s glasses. 

“Get back to the others,” he said over his shoulder. She ran behind him and back down the path towards the secluded beach where the others would be waiting for them. 

“Oh, are you gonna stop us, little man?” One of them said. He was wearing a red shirt. “Grey, go get her.”

The man in the ironically grey shirt went to run after Luna, but Prompto stopped him in his tracks. With a kick to the side of the knee and a hand on the back of his neck, he slammed the guy to the ground. This just pissed the other two off. They rushed him together, pushing him to the ground and getting a few kicks in. Prompto swiped his legs out and brought them both to the ground and allowed him to pick himself back up. Grey shirt got up at that point and made a charge at him. He was able to side step it, but only so much that it meant the red shirt man’s fist collided with his face. That was probably a broken nose as he fell to the ground. The other fellow, with a yellow shirt picked him up and carried him over to the cliff edge. 

Terror filled Prompto as he realized he was directly over water. He gripped at the man’s shirt, trying to take a purchase so he wouldn’t go over. The man must have sensed his fear, as he began laughing. 

“I don’t think little man here likes heights, Ray.” 

“Is that so?” Red shirt asked, massaging the hand that had just punched Prompto’s face. There was a cruel smile on his face. 

“HEY!” 

They boys turned and saw Gladio and Ignis racing up the trail. They looked like they were about to commit murder. But they were still too far away.

“Toss him and let’s go. This isn’t fun anymore.” The red shirt man, Ray, said. 

Prompto couldn’t even form a plea of ‘no’ before he was suddenly tossed over the side. He reached for anything sticking out to try and keep himself from falling but there was nothing as he plummeted towards the water’s surface. He heard shouts but they were deafened by the wind around him and the waves below him. 

He hit the water hard, sinking deep. He got disoriented in the water and didn’t know which way was up. Panic set in. He gasped for air. He was going to drown here. There wasn’t any way for him to save himself, having never learned how to swim. He felt consciousness beginning to fade. He was freezing. He thought of Ignis and how he’d never get a chance to tell him that he loved him as everything went black. 


	3. Chapter Three

Coughing up water and a bit of bile, Prompto came back to consciousness. He looked up to see Ignis next to him. He was all wet and his eyes were red. He felt Ignis’s hand on his cheek and reached up to take it gently, which led Ignis to let out a shaky breath he seemed to have been holding. 

“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, almost darkly. “Why did you think you could take those boys by yourself?” 

“I knew you guys wouldn’t be far. I had hoped I could take care of at least one of them before you guys got back up there,” he said as he sat up. “I’m a Crowns Guard, aren’t I?” 

Iggy looked like he had more to say but stopped as Ravus and Luna appeared from the trail. 

“Oh, thank the gods,” Luna said running up and wrapping a towel around Prompto. “I thought you were dead for sure.” She turned her attention to Ignis. “Gladio and Noct are at the top of the hill awaiting authorities. Are you both alright?”

“We’ll be fine. He needs to rest.” 

“Of course. Let’s get him back to the palace,” Ravus said. 

Ignis moved and picked up Prompto, which was not something he was at all accustomed to. He looked up and saw an unreadable expression on the man’s face. He looked upset, but there was more to it that he couldn’t make out. Prompto assumed he was upset with him because of his recklessness. He looked down at his hands, pressing them together until the knuckles turned white. He never wanted to upset Iggy. In fact, he always did his best to make all of his companions happy, but now this man that he loved so incredibly much was upset with him and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

They reached the top of the cliff quickly. Ignis got into the back seat of the car with Prompto, pulling him into his lap. Prompto didn’t know what to do other than just let himself be held and carried. While he had wanted Ignis’s arms around him for some time, he hated his scenario in which it had happened. He watched Ignis’s hand come up and take hold of his. 

“Your hands are freezing. I’ll draw you a bath once we get back.”

“You don’t h-” He didn’t get the words out, cut off by the look that Ignis gave him. It was true anger, something that had never been directed at Prompto before and it terrified him.

Ignis didn’t let go of his hands, instead did his best to try to warm them. Noct and Lunafreya got into the front seat and took off for the palace. Gladio would wait with Ravus for the authorities to come. Ignis held him close the entire ride back and up the stairs back to their room. He only let go of him to set him on the toilet while he drew a bath. 

After a few minutes, Prompto opened his mouth and finally spoke. “Iggy-”

“It took me two minutes to find you.” The sincerity and seriousness in which Ignis said it only carried more weight with the fact that he wouldn’t look at Prompto. “A part of me thought you had been caught up by a riptide and taken out to sea. When I finally found you and pulled you back to shore I-” He broke off. Prompto saw a tear fall down his cheek. “I thought you had-.”

Prompto put his hands up to either side of Ignis’s face, pulling him to look his way. He carefully wiped away the tears. “I’m right here, Iggy. I’m here because of you. Because no matter how dire the situation, you’re always there to save me.” 

The two of them looked at each other. Prompto wished he had the guts to lean in and kiss this man that he loved with his entire being. Instead, he dropped his hands and looked away. He waited a moment, waited to see what Ignis would do. Unfortunately, Ignis did nothing. So, he closed his eyes and exhaled a small sigh. 

“Thank you for drawing a bath. I think I can do the rest by myself.”

He didn’t open his eyes. He just waited in the silence. It was a few moments before he heard Ignis leave and close the door. He opened his eyes, and every fiber of his being was telling him to get up and open that door and fling himself into Ignis. But he didn’t. Instead he stripped himself and slowly lowered himself into the warm bath water. He sat there for a few minutes, just existing in the water. He looked down at his body where a few purple bruises sat against faded scars and various freckles. His consciousness went elsewhere in his brain while his body went through the motions of cleaning himself. 

He was nearing the end when he suddenly snapped back to reality with the realization that he would have to go underwater to rinse the suds from his hair. He looked around for something to scoop the water in instead but he was unlucky to find such a tool. He didn’t want to use his hands and because it would take too long. 

He took a breath and exhaled deeply. He could do this. It wasn’t the ocean, or any sort of deep water. He wasn’t going to drown. He put his hand up to his nose and plugged it as he leaned back and dunked his head under the water. His other hand came up to run through his hair and that’s when he realized he had forgotten to breathe before going under. He opened his eyes and suddenly he felt like he was completely submerged. He pressed his elbows to the bottom of the tub and shot himself up to the surface. He came up breathing heavily and coughing. 

“Prompto?” Ignis knocked at the door. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he lied. “Just accidentally pushed against one of my bruises too hard.” He hated himself for lying to Ignis, but he didn’t want to worry and upset him. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

“Alright. Noct asked me to come over to his room. I’ve laid out some clothes for you. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Sounds good.”  _ Please stay. _ He wanted to say. 

He heard footsteps walk away and the room to their door open and shut. Alone again. He got out of the tub and unplugged it, allowing the water to go down the drain. He never wanted to take another bath again. Showers only. 

He dried himself off as best he could with his towel, then wrapped it around his waist as he left. True to his word, there was a set of clothes left out for him. He got dressed slowly, his bruises only allowing him to go so fast. Those guys had really kicked him hard. He was lucky, he supposed, that they were only on his torso and none had kicked him in the head. Then he really might have died in that water. 

A knock from the door stirred him from his thoughts. 

“Prompto? It’s Ravus. I just wanted to check in after this evening's excursions.” 

Prompto was taken a little aback. He hadn’t expected Ravus to come, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with him, especially not alone. But, he pulled his shirt over his head and then approached the door. 

“Hi,” he said softly as he looked up at the other, who only bore concern on his face. “Sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean for it to ruin the trip.”

“Nonsense. I’m just glad you’re alright. You gave us quite the scare.” Ravus stepped closer and without thinking Prompto backed up and let him enter the room. “I was about to jump in after Ignis when he finally found you. I’d feared for the worst when he immediately started doing chest compressions.”

Prompto wasn’t sure what to say. The fact that both these men were so concerned about him made him feel a little uncomfortable if he was honest. He had always hated being at the center of attention. And now he had caused quite the commotion. 

“What happened with those guys?” He asked, trying to change the subject. 

“Oh, the authorities arrived soon after you all left. They were taken into custody for trespassing, assault and attempted murder.” 

“Whoa! I don’t think they tried to  _ kill _ me!”

“They threw you off a fifty foot cliff after punching and kicking you. That sounds like attempted murder to me.” 

Prompto shied away, hands clasping together. So much fuss over him was becoming too much for him to handle. He didn’t know what to do or what to say, so instead he just looked away from Ravus. 

“I am glad you’re safe,” Ravus said, stepping towards him and placing his hands on Prompto’s shoulders. Prompto looked up at him again, trying to gauge him. “You’re a remarkable young man, and it’d have been a waste to see you die.” 

Ravus was giving him the warmest, sweetest smile. He felt himself melt a little, though then his mind reminded him that Ignis was right next door and could come back any moment. His heart lurched at the thought of Ignis and he forced himself to pull back. 

“Thank you for your concern, Ravus, but I’m very tired and I think I should get some sleep.” 

Ravus’s smile turned a little sad. “I understand.” He hesitated for half a second before leaning down and kissing Prompto’s cheek. “For your wellbeing.” 

And he walked out, leaving Prompto to stand there in the middle of the bedroom with his hand up against the spot that had been kissed. He looked at the door with wide eyes and his heart sank. He wobbled over to the bed and sat down. He curled into himself, pulling the covers over as he sank into the bed. He hated himself, hated that he had allowed this and hated that he wasn’t more convincing about his love for Ignis. That had to be why Ravus felt so bold so as to make a move on him. He had figured out the lie and was now trying to pull Prompto to him. And Prompto hated that it appeared to be working. 

He felt tears sting his eyes. He silently cried into his pillow, wishing he could figure out what was going on with his heart and brain. He was so confused. He needed to talk this out. He couldn’t let this sit and stew in his heart and brain, not when he could do something about it. 

He got up and went out into the hallway where he ran into Ignis, who was on his way back.

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I just… I need to talk to Gladio.” He held himself as he talked, something he hadn’t done in a long time. 

Ignis looked at him a moment. “He’s-”

“Prompto!” From down the hall, Gladio came running up to them. He enveloped Prompto in a hug that Prompto didn’t know he needed. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Can we talk for a moment?” Prompto looked up at him, trying to convey that they needed privacy. 

Gladio seemed to understand and pulled him into a spare room a little ways down the hall. Once the door shut he turned to him with the utmost concerned look and Prompto just burst into tears again. Gladio was there at an instant, pulling him into a hug and holding him. 

“Hey, you’re alright. It’s okay.” he said soothingly. 

“It’s not okay, Gladio!” He said, banging his fists against Gladio’s chest. “I don’t know what to do! Ravus kissed my cheek. And… I liked it.” 

Gladio didn’t say anything for a few moments, just held onto Prompto and allowed him to cry. Once he had quieted down, Gladio set him on the desk in this room and helped to wipe his face. Then, he pulled up a chair and sat down. 

“Look, I don’t know why Ravus is making advances on you.”

“Probably because he’s caught on that Iggy and I aren’t actually a couple. Because I’m a terrible liar.”

“So stop lying.” 

The abruptness caused Prompto to look up at Gladio confused. He didn’t understand what he was saying. 

“You like him right? Then focus on that. Focus on how he makes you feel and don’t hold back anymore. Convince  _ yourself  _ that you’re in a relationship with him already. Stop lying, stop pretending. Just act and let your feelings go.” 

“That’s easier said than done, Gladio,” he scoffed. 

“I know, but I have faith in you. You’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for.” He playfully punched his torso. “And you’ve got more heart than anyone I’ve ever met. Just don’t let it consume you.”

Prompto smiled. “Thanks, Gladio. How is it you always know just what to say?” 

“Years of picking Noct up by his bootstraps.” 

That caused him to laugh. This was why Gladio was his best friend. This is why they worked so well together. They could bounce off each other and pick each other up no matter what. 

Prompto thanked Gladio again, then retreated back to his room. He heard Ignis in the shower. He walked right up to the door, hand reaching for the handle when he froze in his tracks. What was he doing? Was this really the way to try to do what Gladio had just said? No. This was stupid and an invasion of privacy. He backed away and retreated back to the bed. He climbed in and faced away from the bathroom door. He had to think a little more about this, about the best course of action. He had to think more like Ignis on this one. 

After a while he heard the bathroom door open. He listened as Ignis got ready for bed. He kept waiting for the man to join him in bed, but instead heard the door to the balcony open. He focused his hearing on Ignis, and heard the sound of a lighter followed by an inhale. He sat up and tried to look over but from where the bed was situated he couldn’t see Ignis. 

He sighed, resigning himself to talking to Ignis tonight, then got out of bed and walked over to the balcony door, where he found Ignis leaning against the railing and looking out at the scene beyond them. He watched him drag a cigarette to his mouth.

“You know I hate it when you do that,” he said softly as he stepped out in the cool night air. 

“Forgive me,” Ignis looked over at him. “It’s been a rather stressful day.” 

Prompto reached over and took the cigarette. Ignis was right, it had been a stressful day. 

“First water, now you want smoke in your lungs?” 

Prompto looked over at him, cigarette to his lips. He tried to gauge Ignis’s expression but without the glasses it was somehow harder. He frowned and pulled it away, offering back to the man. Ignis leaned forward and took it with his mouth, causing Prompto’s brain to short circuit. 

“This was worse than last time,” Ignis said. “I don’t know how I found you. It should have been impossible. Your leg was stuck in something and I had to move it in order to free you.”

“Would have been poetic, don’t you think? Two people who are always saving each other, die together while doing exactly that.” 

Ignis was quiet for a moment, pressing the cigarette to his lips again. Prompto watched the smoke that exhaled from his sigh. They stood there in silence, just existing in this moment together. 

“Am I an idiot?” Ignis asked abruptly. 

“You’re the smartest guy I know. Where’s this coming from?” 

Ignis looked over at him, brow furrowed in thought. He tossed the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with his foot. He leaned in and this was the moment that Prompto realized that his eyes were red, that he had probably been crying in the shower.

“Iggy…”

“I can’t tell which of us is the idiot, then. I can’t tell if you don’t understand when someone is into you, or if I just have no idea how relationships work. I don’t care if this is fake or not, I still care about you and I almost lost you, again. The water almost took you from me, again.” Tears formed in Ignis’s eyes again. 

Prompto didn’t answer, couldn’t find the words. He cupped Ignis’s face and didn’t hesitate to kiss him. It was a quick, but sweet kiss. “You know what my thoughts were before I lost consciousness in the water? You. I thought of you and how I wished I could have told you from the beginning that I love you.” 

Ignis blinked. He wrapped his arms around Prompto and kissed him. Prompto could cry. In fact, he felt tears fall down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe this was happening, couldn’t believe that Ignis was actually kissing him and actually  _ wanted _ to be kissing him. 

“Why are you crying?” Ignis said, wiping his face. “Am I that bad?”

“No!” Prompto panicked. “Not at all. I just… I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.” 

He decided that in every point that he could, he would kiss Ignis. He wanted to kiss him until he died. It seemed Ignis agreed with this sentiment because he began to kiss him again, his hands moving down to pick him up and carry him back into the room and place him on the bed. The kisses became more heated, more passionate. Tongue became involved at some point and Prompto’s legs were wrapped around Ignis’s waist. 

Ignis ducked his head and began kissing his way down Prompto’s neck. His hands gripped his sides, pushing up the fabric of his shirt to grip his hips. Prompto yelped in pain. Ignis had gripped one of the bruises. 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” He said, pulling back. 

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to. I’ll be okay.” Prompto sat up. 

“No, this isn’t something we should do. Not tonight, anyways. You need to heal.”

Prompto frowned. 

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

“But I don’t wanna wait until I heal.” 

Ignis chuckled, rolling his eyes. “How about this? Let yourself heal, and Friday, after the fireworks, we’ll try again. Does that sound fair?”

Prompto thought about it. “Hmm. I guess so. I do demand more kisses between now and then, though.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

They crawled into bed kissing each other. And Prompto fell asleep in Ignis’s embrace.

The sun and wind fell into the room through the balcony. The distant sounds of birds cawing is what stirred Prompto awake. Unlike the previous morning, where he had woken up alone in bed, this time he woke up with Ignis still beside him. In fact, Ignis had his arms wrapped around Prompto, hands running up and down his back. Prompto looked up and was met by beautiful green eyes. 

“Good morning,” Ignis said in a low voice. 

“Hi,” Prompto smiled. 

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. Really well. What about you?”

Ignis leaned forward and kissed Prompto’s forehead. “Wonderful.”

One of Prompto’s hands snaked up to gently hold Ignis’s face, then he leaned forward and kissed him, savoring the sweet taste of Ignis’s lips. He smiled into his mouth, kissing him more, never wanting to stop. He felt Ignis hold him a little tighter and a little closer.

“The desire to simply kiss you all day is incredibly strong. Unfortunately, we need to make appearances. Night one starts tonight and it would not be in our best interests to ditch the first night.”

Prompto whined. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, we have to.” He kissed him again. “I’m going to start getting dressed, but you better as well, regardless of how tempting you are.”

Prompto whined again, trying to hold onto Ignis but was unable to keep him in the bed. Instead of following him out of bed, he watched Ignis walk into the bathroom and brush his teeth. His eyes raked down Ignis’s back and settled on his ass. He wanted to pinch his cheeks but he was too far away. He moved slowly, so as to not raise suspicion. He went to the wardrobe and pulled out some clothes for the day. He got dressed, then walked slowly over to the bathroom, where Iggy was finishing with his hair. He reached forwards and grabbed Ignis’s butt. 

“You, sir, are a menace.” Ignis turned, taking Prompto’s wrists and pushing him against the wall with his arms raised. He pressed in close, causing Prompto to gasp. “You’re lucky I just finished with my hair, or else I would ruin you right here and now.” 

“Seems rather unlucky in my opinion.”

Ignis growled and captured his lips in a harsh kiss that left Prompto breathless. He pulled away and looked down. Prompto pouted. He couldn’t even move his hands to pull Ignis back to him. He did finally look at him again and let go of his wrists. 

“You’re going to be the death of me, I swear.” 

The day went by quickly, and the night was filled with mostly chatter. Prompto mostly stuck by Ignis as they were introduced to countless nobles. He was incredibly overwhelmed. He couldn’t seem to get a break as so many people kept approaching them and introducing themselves. Many of them kept flirting with Ignis, which made him jealous at first but then he saw the way Ignis looked at him, and saw the smile on his face when he would boast about their adventures and he melted. 

The evening rolled around and they were all invited to a big feast. Prompto sat next to Ignis and was almost pressed against his side. Their hands periodically brushed against each other as they ate, causing them to smile at each other. 

“So,” Gladio leaned forward a little with a chicken leg bone in his hand and waving it towards them. “When did this happen?” 

“This isn’t new, Gladio.” He eyed him and then looked around the room. “We just were able to… rekindle what was already there.” He winked at the larger man. “How’s everything on your end?” 

Prompto giggled as a blush grew on Gladio’s face. 

“Keep it down, would you? I don’t have the ability to just… do what I want.”

“And you think we do?”

“It’s easier for you. I’m a Shield first.”

The two of them looked at each other a moment before Ignis took another bite of his meal. Then he put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Weren’t you the one that told me there’s no point wishing on stars that aren’t there? That destiny waits for no one?”

Gladio glared at Ignis a moment, who in return only bore a smile. Ignis was sneaky and Prompto couldn’t help but feel proud of him for having bested Gladio with his own words. 

“What do you expect me to do?” 

“Try talking to him. Have you said more than a few words the entire time we’ve been here?”

“We were on the same volleyball team yesterday. And I told him to stay with Luna and Ravus when you and I ran back up to help Prompto.” 

“That’s hardly much for conversation. You could at least ask him how he’s dealing with all of this.” He pointed up to where Noct sat at the High Table, where all the very important people were seated. Noct was next to Lunafreya, who was next to Ravus. Around them were some other nobles that Prompto had been introduced to but had forgotten most of their names and titles. Prompto saw Ravus look over at him and smile, but Prompto quickly turned away and slunk back into his seat. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Prompto…” 

He looked up at Ignis who was looking at him with such a concerned expression. The way his brow furrowed upwards when he was worried, and the small pout that sat on his lips. Oh how Prompto loved this man. 

“So, while you were talking with Noct last night, Ravus had come to talk to me. And he expressed his concern over what had happened. And then… he kissed my cheek.” 

Ignis turned from worry to an expression akin to anger, but there was something else hinted in his eyes. Jealousy, maybe? It was hard to tell considering Prompto had never seen this expression on his face. “And what did you do?”

“I told him thank you and made him leave. And then after that I ran out in the hallway for Gladio.” 

Ignis was quiet for a moment. Prompto watched his eyes dance around his face, then glance to Gladio, and then make the quickest glance up to the High Table and Prompto knew who he looked at. When he turned his attention back to him, however, the expression had changed again. This time it was the same look he had given him that morning when they woke up. Warmth and love. He took Prompto’s hands into his own and kissed the knuckles. “I don’t know what he’s intending, but I promise you won’t be alone with him again as long as I have anything to say about it. I don’t care if he’s some rich asshole. I won’t let him take this one good thing I finally got for myself.” 

Prompto smiled, unable to help the blush that bloomed on his cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed Ignis right there in the middle of the room. He didn’t care. He needed to kiss him after something as sweet as that. He pulled away and beamed up at Ignis, who smiled as well. 

“Who knew you were such a romantic,” Gladio teased. 

“Oh, shut up.” Ignis ignored Gladio and instead leaned forward to kiss Prompto’s forehead. 

The evening went on uneventfully. Prompto and Ignis stayed glued to each other’s side. A few other guests came up and talked to them, mostly Ignis, and finally the feast was over. Ravus broke the crowd and they were all dismissed. They made their way up to their room, hand in hand. Gladio was beside them as they walked and talked. 

“Hey, guys! Wait up!”

They turned and saw Noct running up behind them. He looked exhausted. He made his way up to them and sighed a little. 

“If this week kills me, can you at least tell my dad that I got a few licks in before I went down.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little overdramatic?” Gladio asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“No, I don’t.” Noct looked up at him, then lifted his arms. “Carry me.”

“Wh-?” Before he could finish, Prompto nudged him and gave him a pointed look. Gladio rolled his eyes, then turned and bent down so Noct could get on his back. Everyone seemed surprised by this. Gladio hadn’t done this in years, since they were high schoolers. Noct climbed on and dangled his arms over Gladio’s shoulders as he lifted the smaller man up and onto his back. It was adorable to see. Prompto held Ignis’s hand a little tighter. Ignis, in turn, rubbed his thumb across Prompto’s knuckles. 

They went upstairs. Prompto winked at Gladio as they disappeared into their room and giggled at the blush that erupted across his face. Then, he followed Ignis to their room. Once the door was closed, Ignis was pressing him against the wall while attacking him with kisses. 

“You, sir, are making it very difficult to keep my promise for Friday,” he said, hands grasping at Prompto’s hips and pulling him close. 

“Maybe I want you to break your promise,” Prompto breathed, hands coming up to completely ruin Iggy’s hair. 

“You’re a menace.” One of Ignis’s hands came up and held Prompto’s throat. 

He wasn’t applying any pressure to his neck, but it was enough for Prompto to look up at him hungrily. His hand was still wrapped up in Ignis’s hair. He yanked him down into more kisses, chasing his tongue across Ignis’s lips, which opened for him and he explored his mouth. Even though they had just eaten, Ignis tasted like mint. How was he this perfect? 

Iggy pulled back and applied a small amount of pressure to Prompto’s neck at an attempt to hold him back. He sighed heavily, then moved his hands so they were holding Prompto’s shoulders. He gave him a look that had Prompto pulling back and in on himself. 

“We can’t be foolish. Not yet, at least. Believe me, I want to so badly continue this but we still need to be focused on the mission.” 

“I know that. I just…” 

“I know.” Ignis leaned in and gave him one sweet kiss. “Here’s an updated promise. If we find this man with black eyes and take care of him, or after the fireworks, whichever of these comes first. That’s when we’ll be free to do what we like. How’s that sound?”

“Deal,” Prompto said as he pulled Ignis down for one last kiss. 

They smiled at each other before getting ready for bed. Prompto showered first. It felt good to actually shower instead of take a bath. His bruises didn’t look as bad today either. He got out of the shower, wrapped one towel around his waist and one around his shoulders to collect the drip from his hair, then opened the door to find Ignis at the desk. Prompto had forgotten he had brought his laptop. He walked over and leaned against him while looking over his shoulder. 

“Find anything interesting?” He asked.

“Just doing some research about this mystery man. Apparently, he’s usually very close with the royalty. He’s very charismatic and is very powerful. But we don’t have any other descriptors other than black eyes. It’s quite infuriating.” 

“We’ll figure it out. We’ve got you with your super smart brain on the case, and then you’ve got Gladio’s fierce loyalty and need to protect, and you’ve got my eyes. We’ll find him and stop him and whatever he’s trying to do here.” He kissed Iggy’s cheek. “I am a little worried that we haven’t seen him yet. Do you think he’ll try something on Friday? With all the fireworks going on?”

“It’s the most likely outcome if he doesn’t show himself tomorrow.” He stood up and ruffled Ignis’s hair. 

While Prompto got dressed, Ignis researched for a few more minutes before heading to the bathroom to shower. Once he was fully dressed, Prompto was about to settle into bed when there was a knock on the door. Curious, he walked over and opened it. 

“Good evening, Prompto!” It was Ravus. Prompto became incredibly self aware, making sure to keep Ravus in the hall. He didn’t want him to come in and for something to happen. “Sorry I couldn’t make time for you all day.”

“It’s fine, your M-”

“ _ Please  _ call me Ravus.” 

Prompto saw a look of something deeply hidden and troubling behind Ravus’s eyes but he couldn’t place what exactly it was. He gulped. Ignis was still in the shower so he was completely alone in this. 

“I’m just a Crowns Guard. It feels… weird to call you Ravus.” 

“Come now, Prompto. You and I  _ both _ know you’re more than that,” Ravus said with a hint of something else on his tongue. He looked him over with a harsh look. “Then again, maybe you don’t. Curious… Here’s a proposal. Meet me at the front gates at sunset tomorrow if you want to know where your tattoo comes from.” And with that, he walked away, leaving Prompto very confused. 

He closed the door and climbed into bed. He pulled the bracelets he wore to hide the barcode tattoo. It had been there for a long time. Prompto never knew where it came from and no matter the amount of research he put into it, there was no information as to where it came from. He traced a few lines with his fingers, but stopped when he heard the shower cut off. He looked over when Ignis walked out and made his way to the wardrobe to get dressed. Prompto couldn’t help but sneak a peek. 

“Are you aware that you have the best butt in the whole world?” 

“I’m not sure it’s the best, but I appreciate the compliment.” He finished getting dressed and getting into bed with Prompto and kissing him. He brought his hand up and played with Prompto’s hair, moving it and letting his fingers trace his jawline. 

Prompto thought about telling Ignis about what Ravus had said. He knew Ignis wouldn’t like him going out, especially with only Ravus as a companion. But if Ravus knew something about his past that he could never find any information about, then that seemed like a logical solution to at least hear him out. He was desperate for information, and while Ravus made him a little uncomfortable, he figured it should be okay for a little while. So, he decided not to tell Ignis. 

“You might not be saying anything, but I know when something’s on your mind.”

Man. Prompto really was that easy to read. “I was just thinking about how crazy it is that a few days ago I was so stressed out about this because I didn’t know how I was going to be able to be around you like this where we’re all fancy. And now I’m in bed next to you, and I get to kiss you and hold you close.” 

Ignis smiled, then kissed him. “Get some rest. The next two days will only become a little more chaotic, I’m afraid.” 


End file.
